Gov. Shapiro hopes to address college affordability with next state budget, avoid tax hike

When talking about higher education, Pennsylvania is low on the list. The state ranks No. 49 in the nation for state investment and No. 48 for student affordability.

“We got to tell a kid she was accepted into an RN program in Clarion, she was over the moon. Her mom was just elated, next question was how do we pay for this?” Megan Van Fossan, the Sto-Rox superintendent, said.

That’s the common theme for families, but it hits harder for the students who come from lower-income households.

“It’s about 50% of our students who might look at it as an option, but the other 50% not so much because they don’t even think it’s a possibility,” said Shelly Manns who’s a Principal at Woodland Hills High School.

Gov. Josh Shapiro is hoping to change that. In his budget expected to be released Tuesday, he’s overhauling higher education. In his plan, he looks to unite state-owned universities known as PASSHE with the 15 community colleges under one umbrella.

Then he is proposing cutting tuition and fees to just $1,000 a semester at those schools for students coming from a household income of $70,000 or less. According to the last census, that’s nearly half of all households in the state.

“I think it’s tremendous when you talk about access and accessibility, that makes it accessible and then it gives them the opportunity even view it as something they can do to achieve more than they thought possible,” Berchman Grinage, a principal at Woodland Hills High School, said.

But how do you even begin to pay for this proposal? Channel 11 the governor that exact question just this week.

“It’s a bold, exciting, audacious plan and something that is lacking in Harrisburg, we’ve got to invest. The investments I will lay out next week in higher ed are fully paid for in a balanced budget, don’t require any increases in taxes,” said Governor Josh Shapiro.

Channel 11 did reach out to a number of our local universities for comments about the proposal:

“We are intrigued by Gov. Shapiro’s blueprint, and it’s early in the process. A greater investment in higher education will be good for SRU and it will provide even better access to education for the people we serve. The announced blueprint is the start of many conversations that I’ll be having with the governor, state legislators and higher education leaders as a member of a State System working group. I look forward to being engaged in that dialogue about how the plan will work as SRU continues to serve our students, our communities and our commonwealth,” Karen Riley, Slippery Rock University president, said.

“Governor Shapiro’s vision to develop a new blueprint for higher education will provide an opportunity to transform the current system into one that is committed to expanding education access for students and sets the foundation to build the workforce for the future. This would be a wonderful opportunity for the 10 PASSHE colleges and 15 community colleges to work together to develop a system that is accessible, affordable and creates opportunities for Pennsylvanians across the Commonwealth,” Dr. Quintin Bullock, President of CCAC, said.

“PASSHE has been rapidly evolving to meet the changing needs of students with a carefully planned strategy that has gained statewide and national attention. We have intentionally focused on maximizing the benefits of being a system to help our students and universities. But there is only so much we can do by ourselves. Now we look forward to helping to build a new system for Pennsylvania that offers a full range of post-secondary programs, from credentials through associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees, provides greater investment in students, and helps many more people to get the education and skills they need for good jobs in our communities. Thanks to Gov. Shapiro, this is our opportunity to build the comprehensive public state higher education system of the future,” PASSHE Board of Governors Chair Cynthia Shapira said.

“PASSHE’s remarkable transformation over the past six years shows that a collaborative system is good for students, communities and employers, and we know higher education can accomplish so much more by uniting. The governor’s proposal is a real opportunity to build upon the strengths of PASSHE universities and the community colleges. Together we can create a new, larger system with better collaboration that gives students more pathways to a degree or credential, rapidly adjusts to the changing knowledge and skills employers want, and provides the lowest-cost option for students throughout their lifetime,” PASSHE Chancellor Dan Greenstein said.

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